"Nothing but Americans": Stories on Independence Day
On Independence Day, stories from military and veteran writers
America’s self-evident truths were born with one foot in the grave. The Continental Army, the only force capable of turning the Declaration of Independence into more than a piece of paper, first celebrated independence, but within months, was on the run. In July 1776, the Army held a parade in Lower Manhattan to accompany a reading of the Declaration, but in August they suffered a brutal defeat in the Battle of Brooklyn and retreated. They would not return to New York for seven years. Similarly, the Continental Congress, just six months after adopting the Declaration, had to flee Philadelphia to escape the British army. Yet, somehow, through great sacrifice, faith, and courage, these truths lived on. In fact, they did more than just survive, they went on to change the entire course of human history.
As Secretary of State Daniel Webster, speaking on the nation’s 75th birthday, observed, the Declaration, “has met dangers and overcome them; it has had enemies, and conquered them; it has had detractors, and abashed them all; it has had doubting friends, but it has cleared all doubts away”. The occasion for Webster’s speech was the laying of a cornerstone for new construction to the U.S. Capitol. George Washington had performed a similar ritual in 1793, and in his remarks, Webster connected these two events as points in a story that would extend far into the future:
“those blessings our fathers have tasted, and we have tasted, and still taste. Nor do we intend that those who come after us shall be denied the same high fruition. Our honor as well as our happiness is concerned. We cannot, we dare not, we will not betray our sacred trust.”
Today, 174 years later, it is our privilege and responsibility to carry this sacred trust forward.
Independence Day is a time for grandeur, even excess. It’s a day for fireworks, barbecues, hot dog eating contests, and concerts; for marches by John Philip Sousa and music from Aaron Copland; and for speeches like Webster’s (which went for two hours) that reflect on our storied past and highest ideals.
But it is also a day for quiet, a moment to consider the responsibilities freedom requires of us. It’s a day for stories of sacrifice, hope, and faith; for listening to the rendition of “America the Beautiful” that Ray Charles performed on October 28, 2001, in the shadow of 9/11, on a piano placed on home plate during the second game of the World Series; and for speeches like the one Frederick Douglass gave in 1852, that demand of us a greater commitment to realizing the full magnitude of freedom and equality promised in the Declaration.
American soldiers celebrate Independence Day in Paris, 1917. Source: Library of Congress.
Rather than offer my own reflections on the 4th of July, I am sharing a suite of Independence Day essays and articles from writers, primarily on Substack, with a military connection or background. These stories speak from different viewpoints and offer a range of thoughts on the meaning of Independence Day. I hope you enjoy reading these pieces and that they both challenge and inspire us as we commemorate our nation’s 249th birthday.
Navy veteran Ben Davis writes a fictional piece about two men climbing a mountain together. The piece is filled with the silence of what they came to talk about but mostly avoid—whether one of the men should join the military. It is a poignant piece about military service, both the life-fulfilling—“A year later, or maybe even a few shitty days later, all of a sudden you’re willing to die for these people”—and the painful—“whether you get blown up or killed. And whether you’re going to kill someone else, someone you didn’t mean to kill. Or maybe you did mean to kill them at the time, and then later, you realize you didn’t need to.” It is a meditation on service, sacrifice, and people, and well-worth reading as we observe this Independence Day.
This was originally posted on Alpinist (https://alpinist.com/features/hard-to-explain/).
He Didn’t Ask. He Declared. By
Marine Corps veteran Mark McGrath writes about how the Declaration of Independence was an “Orientation strike” that permanently shifted the American people into a new narrative reality, one where living under a king was no longer possible. He talks about the enormous power of the Declaration—”You don’t wait to be free. You act free, and force the world to reconcile with your decision” and its lessons for us today.
The 4th of July by
Army veteran Justin Mc talks about the 4th of July and storytelling. He looks at his own family’s story, where individuals have fought in every major conflict going back before the Revolutionary War. On Independence Day, it became a custom for members of his family to share war stories, from the humorous to the tragic. Justin ends by considering the power of storytelling in the military and in our society more generally, writing, “Now, the fireworks are a bit too loud and my hearing is shot, but between the explosions and silence, the memories of the stories, mine and those I carry with me, ring loudly.”
Why the 4th of July Still Maters by
Navy veteran Sam Alaimo considers the importance of Independence Day. He cautions us on the risks posed by movements that seek to strip away people’s freedom and right to “self-command”. As an example, he looks at, among other things, the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and its regime of death and destruction. He reminds us that Independence Day matters not just as a reminder of freedom won in the past, but to “our right to fight — and win — every war for freedom in the future.” He closes by observing how in this sense, Independence Day is about more than just America, it is about the revolution that made freedom the unalienable truth for all people.
What the Fourth of July Reveals About the Unfulfilled Promise of America by Theodore Johnson
Navy veteran Theodore “Ted” Johnson asks “What does the day [Independence Day] mean and who does it belong to?”. He weaves in reflections and observations about race and the American story, rituals, and the ways we might feel pulled towards emphasizing either reckoning or pride on Independence Day. He ends by asking us to consider three themes, all interconnected: pride, reckoning, and aspiration.
This is an excerpt from a book was originally posted on Lithub (https://lithub.com/what-the-fourth-of-july-reveals-about-the-unfulfilled-promise-of-america/).
4th of July Edition by
Navy veteran Adam Karaoguz talks about the many differing threads that are part of our “collective, controlled hallucination, this idea of America”. He looks at signs of concern, from our eroding capacity to talk to one another and commiserate with strangers, as well as signs of hope, such as the work of groups like Braver Angels. In the end, Adam argues it is up to us to bring Americans together. “We have to decide to do it, together. I hope that we do.”
“Some Elements of the American Character" by John Fitzgerald Kennedy
In 1946, as part of his first campaign for Congress, Navy veteran John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) gave an Independence Day speech at Faneuil Hall in Boston. In his remarks, JFK spoke to the religious, idealistic, patriotic, and individualistic elements of the American character.
Note: originally posted by the JFK Presidential Library and Museum (https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/independence-day-oration-1946).
An American Insurgency by Sean Marquis
Army officer Sean Marquis takes a technical analysis to the Revolutionary War, looking at the conflict through the framework offered by military doctrine. Specifically, he uses Joint Publication 3-24, Counterinsurgency, to assess whether the founders qualified as “insurgents”. He closes by giving “thanks to the insurgents, revolutionaries, patriots, freedom fighters, or whatever other titles are given to the founders for the bold actions they took to bring the country I call home into being.”
Note: originally posted by the Modern War Institute (https://mwi.westpoint.edu/july-4th-celebrating-the-good-guy-insurgents/).
In his 1851 speech, Daniel Webster said, “But to-day, we are Americans all; and all nothing but Americans.” Nothing but Americans. Without collapsing or eroding our fierce individualism, Independence Day is a day for us to see in each other our common American identity and to hold our shared story a bit more tightly. These are things well worth celebrating.
Happy Independence Day!
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Additional Resources:
Daniel Webster also gave a stirring Independence Day address in 1800, as a student at Dartmouth. You can learn more here.
Army officer
, in his personal capacity, recommended as Independence Day reading Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech. The National Constitution Center has a good primer on this speech.